The Undersecretary of Public Health, Paula Daza, together with the Undersecretary of Agriculture, José Ignacio Pinochet, launched this morning in the Metropolitan Region of the Self-Care Guide for the Agricultural Sector, which contains health recommendations to avoid the spread of COVID-19 in seasonal jobs.

The activity was carried out at the Agrícola Chacabuco Quality Grapes SA company in Colina, where its workers were able to learn about the contents of this guide, with specific advice for this type of work at four times of the day: on the way before arriving at work ; during working hours; at lunch and breaks, and when leaving work and returning home.

At the end of the visit, the Undersecretary of Health indicated that “we need to continue containing the coronavirus pandemic. We know that in recent weeks we have had an increase in the number of cases of infections, but we also know that people need and want to go to work and that is why it is essential to make these recommendations. Therefore, we make a call to continue maintaining these self-care health measures ”.

For his part, the Undersecretary of Agriculture stressed the importance of granting labor formality in the field, especially in these summer months when agricultural jobs increase as a result of harvests: “Agricultural workers are much more protected when they have a formal employment contract . We have seen that some are reluctant to work in this way thinking that they may lose social benefits. We want to ensure that Family Emergency Income (IFE) will not be lost by having a formal contract. There is work in the fields and we need our fields to continue feeding Chile ”.

Within the recommendations of the Guide for agricultural workers, which can be downloaded at www.covid19.minagri.gob.cl and in minsal.cl, there are tips for transportation, personal hygiene and use of personal work tools.

In addition to this diptych, the Ministry of Agriculture has available on the same website since the beginning of the health crisis, a series of protocols and recommendations for agricultural work: for the self-care of peasant family agriculture; the correct washing of hands and fruits and vegetables; in addition to protocols for workers at free trade fairs and packaging process plants.